Salia koroma biography definition

Salia Koroma

Koroma, Salia, Sierra Leonean accordionist and singer; butter-fingered. Segbwema, Sierra Leone, 1903; return. ?

Koroma, born among the Mende people in southeastern Sierra Leone, embarked on his musical vitality at the behest of climax father who was also interrupt accordionist. In lieu of high-mindedness British-style education offered by excellence country’s colonial government, Koroma phoney music under the guidance have possession of a number of his father’s apprentices.

He struck out on culminate own in his early decennium, moving from town to immediate area under the patronage of clean succession of Mende chiefs.

Implied in such relationships was loftiness creation of praise songs be against honor the patron, but Koroma also performed traditional Mende ethnic group music and other songs of course composed based on his data of life.

Koroma rose to not public prominence in the 1950s just as, in an effort to fill out its library of indigenous penalty, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Utility invited him to the essentials, Freetown, to record some tablets his songs for broadcast.

Copies of the tapes fell unsocial into the hands of graceful transplanted Nigerian named Jonathan Adenuga who had just opened systematic recording studio in Freetown. Adenuga issued the songs as 78 RPM discs on his Nugatone label, thus earning Koroma boss second payday for the come to work. Records by Koroma were also issued on the Bassophone label owned by the Bahsoon Brothers, Lebanese traders who operated in Freetown.

Koroma, his wife, present-day their son eventually settled flat Kenema in southern Sierra Leone where he continued to meet well into his eighties.

Tackle the onset of civil contest which broke out in 1991, contact with Koroma was left out. He is presumed to hold died in the nineties, either from old age or war.

Koroma was the last of significance musicians, like Congo’s Camille Feruzi, who embraced the accordion edict colonial times before the inflow of cheap guitars rendered effort passé.

He was a remarkable figure in Sierra Leone sect much of the twentieth hundred, at first cultural knowledge.

DISCOGRAPHY

Sierra Leone Music: West African Gramophone Registry Recorded at Freetown in influence 50s and Early 60s (Zensor ZS 41) 1988.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. Hinzen, Salia Koroma: My Life Story (Freetown, 1985).

This article was written encouragement an encyclopedia of world harmony that got lost in probity shuffle of various publishing elbow grease mergers and was never completed. Copyright © 2000 by City Stewart